A widely used type of lead making machine comprises a conveyor having lead holding clamps at spaced apart locations thereon. Electrical leads are supplied from an endless source of wire and placed in the clamps at a loading station. The ends of the leads are presented to crimping presses which are located on the path of movement of the conveyor and terminals are crimped onto the ends of the leads. Lead making machines of this type are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,858,292 and 3,703,954, which are hereby incorporated by reference into this description.
It is common practice to provide a terminal inserter, or block loader, adjacent to the conveyor of a conveyor-type lead making machine for inserting the terminals on the ends of the leads produced into the terminal receiving cavities of an electrical connector. Many types of terminals must be in a specific orientation when they are inserted into the cavity of a connector housing for the reason that the terminal may have a retention lance extending therefrom and is nonsymmetrical about one or both axes. The terminal must be oriented so that the lance on the terminal will engage a shoulder in the cavity when the terminal is inserted into the cavity. Quite frequently, the terminals are crimped onto the ends of the lead wires in an orientation which is not the proper orientation for the terminal insertion operation which is subsequently carried out. It is therefore necessary to reorient the lead prior to insertion by rotating it about its axis through a predetermined angle, usually 180 degrees, prior to the block loading or terminal insertion operation. The present invention is directed to the achievement of an apparatus which is intended for use on a conveyor-type lead making machine which is capable of rotating an electrical lead about its axis so that it will be in the proper orientation for insertion.